The present invention is related to signal processing and, in particular, to an alarm clock for automatically setting time/date based on a television broadcast signal transmitted by television broadcast stations.
Conventional electronic alarm clocks come with several features. For example, it is known that when an alarm is triggered instead of a conventional buzzer, a radio station may be tuned. In such clock/radios, the volume of the selected radio station gradually increases after the alarm is triggered if the alarm device is not turned off immediately. Another feature typically found in alarm clocks of this type is battery-backup. A 9-volt battery, for example, provides power to the internal circuits in the alarm clock during power outage.
While the above features certainly add convenience as well as combine the utilitarian features of alarm clocks with entertainment, such alarm clocks lack the feature of automatically setting time and/or date. Namely, when a new alarm clock is purchased, it has to be set to the correct time. In addition, the alarm clock has to be adjusted for daylight savings time, different time zones, and the like. Further, some people do not change the back-up battery, and when a power outage occurs, the blinking "12:00" has to be set to the correct time.
A need therefore exists for an alarm clock that overcomes the above disadvantages.